Thursday, April 18, 2013

Translucent red glass petals on stems of variegated green fill the panes of this recycled antique window. Ladybugs frozen in time climb liquid glass weeds that extend out from the base of the flower stems.

Fused Glass Poppies

This is my second poppy window. Creating this window was like reading a favorite book for the second time. I already knew the ending and was ready for the scary parts so I could relax and truly enjoy the story.

Working with glass is partially creative and partially understanding how the glass will behave when heated by torch or kiln. Each color reacts differently, but the results can be measured and then expected each time.

I used my Nortel Mega Minor torch to pull the Bullseye green glass scrap into organically curved stems. A combination of heat from the torch, timing and gravity gently shapes each arc and contour.

The red poppies are created from layers of transparent and opaque Bullseye glass in many shades of red. When fired in the kiln, the transparent glass softens at a lower temperature than the opaque glass. This creates some petals with a muted soft outline while other petals maintain their crisp edge and well-defined shape.

When I complete a glass panel I feel a sense of calm and completeness. Something imagined is now tangible.